Valve's Gabe Newall on Linux and Windows 8: "We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2500 games on Steam to run on Linux as well. It's a hedging strategy. I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we'll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people. If that's true, then it will be good to have alternatives to hedge against that eventuality."

"I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space."
I would love to see some explanation for why he thinks this. It's a great soundbite, but I would love to see it qualified.

"I think we'll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market."
I would like to see this explained too. Even dismissing the lack of qualification on the statement, I don't see how this is catastrophic? That reads to me like there is more room for smaller players to step up. Maybe a power shift with the rise of some (currently) second tier players?

"I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people."
Here he's unlikely to be referring to the Windows app store and the shift towards a price driven market like that which has seen so many 99c games appear on iOS, as Steam has proven that there's real flexibility available there on the desktop.
If it's more to do with return on investment in specialised hardware like Surface then I guess we'll see. But margins have been shrinking in IT for decades so I don't see this as being a singular catastrophic event either.